Fiber Basics

from Idea Fitness Journal October 2015 issue:

Question I know that it is best to avoid overly processed foods as much as possible. But isn't the fiber found in fortified foods such as breakfast cereals as good for you as the fiber found in naturally occurring foods? In other words, aren't all types of fiber created equal?

Answer Actually no. But I am happy to hear you make the distinction between the fiber found in naturally occurring foods and the fiber added to processed foods. The fact that many consumers believe that a high-fiber product, regardless of its source, is a healthful option is not surprising. But all fibers are not identical and as a result do not provide the same health benefits.

Basics on Fiber The fiber that occurs naturally in foods is called intact fiber. This fiber can be categorized as either soluble fiber (found in grains, nuts, fruit skins and vegetables, it tends to speed the transit time of food in the intestines) or insoluble fiber (found in beans, oats, and some fruits and vegetables, it tends to slow the rate of digestion and absorption). Isolated fiber is either chemically synthesized or isolated and extracted from certain plant foods and then added to processed foods to boost fiber intake. These types of fiber appear on ingredient lists under names such as "resistant starch", "polydextrose", "indigestible dextrin" and "inulin", among others.

Health Benefits of Fiber Intact fiber has a wealth of health benefits, ranging from aiding digestion to reducing the incidence of obesity. But it is fiber's longer-term benefits--being a key element in the prevention of certain cancers, cardiovascular disease and diabetes--that is most impressive. (Epidemiological studies show that populations with high fiber intake have a lower incidence of chronic disease).

Bottom-Line Essentially, the synergistic effect of fiber and other biologically active components found in whole foods are what have been credited with offering protection against chronic disease. This doesn't mean your fiber-fortified breakfast cereal isn't good for you; it's just not as good as the naturally occurring fiber found in old-fashioned oatmeal.

November 2015 VEF Classes

What's Core Got To Do With It?

For someone challenged with a repetitive stress injury of the wrist or a knee problem, a question that might arise is, "What has the core got to do with my problem?" This is a good question, because there seems to be a more obvious relationship with back pain or hip pain when we discuss the core. The core equates to our center. All movements emanate from the core. For instance, If you are handwriting a letter at your desk for twenty minutes, you may experience "writer's cramp." This is when the small muscles in your hand become overworked. These working muscles are anchored on the wrist. Muscles that cross over the elbow joint dictate the position of the wrist. Muscles that cross over the shoulder joint control the elbow joint's position. And the muscles that cross over the shoulder joint are anchored to our core. ~ Anthony B. Carey "The Pain-Free Program"

Core matters and affects shoulders, neck, arms, back, hips, and knees. Weak core = weak everything. Working the core incorrectly = more pain and no gains! Let's change this at veryeffectivefitness.com

Just A Couple Things About Muscles & Joints

Taken from "The Pain-Free Program" by Anthony B. Carey:

When the proper relationship between the two sides [of a joint]  is maintained, the joint can move freely through it's designed range of motion (ROM). If the muscle or the connective tissue on one side of the joint pulls more than do those on the other side, which can be caused by muscle imbalances, the proper relationship of the two sides is not maintained. Instead, the range of motion in one direction becomes greater, and the range of motion in the other direction decreases.

Muscle balance. Every muscle in your body exists for a reason. There are no "extras" or accidental misplacements. Each muscle is responsible for specific movements, and each muscle has a counterpart called an antagonist. For every bicep, there is a tricep. In other words, if there is a muscle or muscles that bend the elbow, then there is also a muscle or muscles that straighten the elbow. In proper postural alignment, opposing muscle groups have a mutually respectful arrangement. They maintain an equal degree of pull on either side of a joint, and they share essential information from the nervous system. This allows the joint to move with equal efficiency and freedom in every direction that it is designed to move. The opposite is true if muscles on one side of the joint are dominant. Those muscles would be shorter and tighter. A short, tight muscle will demand more information from the nervous system. This, in turn, inhibits the antagonistic muscle(s) on the other side of the joint. An inhibited muscle will eventually become longer and weaker to allow for the needs of the shorter and tighter muscle. For example, if the muscles of the chest are worked all the time and they become short and tight, they'll inhibit the muscles between the shoulder blades. This pulls the joint that those muscles act upon out of alignment, causing the shoulders to round froward. As mentioned earlier, this will lead to abnormal movement patterns and excessive wear and tear on various structures in the body.

It's not hopeless! There are a series of corrective dynamic stretches and movements that you can do coupled with changes in your daily postural habits that can change these imbalances and have you moving pain free! veryeffectivefitness.com

Postural Alignment

Postural alignment is the basis of our movement patterns. If the basis of our movement begins from a less-than-optimal position, then movement itself will likely be less than optimal. Optimal standing posture, the "blueprint," has many benefits for our bodies. First of all, it enables us to neutralize the downward pull that gravity constantly exerts on our bodies. If all of the building blocks that make up our bodies were stacked on top of each other the way we were designed, gravity couldn't create pulls and torques on our tissue. ~ Anthony B. Carey "The Pain-Free Program"

Good postural alignment keeps us pain free. Postural misalignment causes pain and stems from our lifestyles, workplace/habits, and compounded by injuries and accidents leading to compensatory movement. There is a lot about our environments that we cannot always change, but how we adapt to our environment we absolutely can. The first step to correcting postural issues is to first address movement patterns. I can help! veryeffectivefitness.com

Remember, all of your physical experiences to date define who you are from a musculoskeletal standpoint." ~Anthony B. Carey

Perfect Practice = Perfect Results

You know the saying "practice makes perfect" but that's not really accurate. If you are practicing bad form for example, then you will never get good form or good results as a result regardless of how much you practice...it will never be "perfect". The saying really should be Perfect Practice makes Perfect. You will only ever get out what you put in, so don't repeat bad behavior, bad mental dialogue, bad form, sloppy workouts, bad eating habits and expect to get anything out of it but bad results. A good example of bad form would be the squat (Importance of a Proper Squat) or the push up....Folks will rush through those moves workout after workout and wonder why they don't get the results for their efforts....simple answer is you are not working the correct muscles and most likely just stressing your joints. Same with mindless eating....If you nibble, bite, sample your way through the day not thinking those little tastes here and there amount to anything, you are sadly mistaken. Results = the Effort you put into it.  Perfect Practice = Perfect Results!

In the same line of thinking of perfect practice makes perfect..... More is not always Better but rather Better is Better! More of a bad thing is still a bad thing. If you are always trying to do your best, then you will get better. If you are always practicing good, mindful, intense form in your workouts, for example, you will get better and achieve great results! See a theme here?  

Law of Facilitation The body subscribes to the law of facilitation, meaning that the body will achieve the desired movement following the path of least resistance. If your body has any mobility-stability compromises, you will end up with dysfunctional movement causing inevitable breakdowns at your weakest link. This is corrected by focusing on moving correctly as opposed to just moving. A great example is the squat and the push up. If you just move through either of these movements regardless of incorrect movement just to say you got the move done, you are actually causing layers of damage to muscular and joint function which will impede your progress to moving correctly in those and other movements. An excellent way to get in touch, stay in touch, as well as improve your mobility-stability issues is to STRETCH. Yoga is an excellent way to accomplish this. When you are stretching, regardless of what modality you use, pay attention to what is tight and what is overcompensating for your “weak links” and communicate those findings to me during our sessions. We can work together to improve your movements so your body doesn’t have to “compromise” to move.

Not working with me?  If you find that you are moving incorrectly resulting in any pain, be sure to seek the assistance of a professional to aide you in your movement to correct any misalignment and incorrect form. I am always an e-mail away to answer questions at cagib1@charter.net.

Worth Striving For

Being Active does not equal being Fit!
Being Physically Fit does not equal being Healthy!
Being Physically Healthy does not equal being Mentally Healthy!
Finding Balance, being Physically Active, Fit and Nutritionally Sound and Healthy, & Mentally and Emotionally Healthy is worth striving for, working towards, & achieving on a daily basis!!!!

Balance is fleeting! We no sooner think we've found it and poof it's gone. Sometimes the stressors in a new situation can cause this poof, and sometimes we just get lax in our daily practices that achieve balance does it. Not overfunctioning or underfunctioning in our daily lives is a tricky little harmonization. The best course of action when it all seems "undone" is to sit quietly and make a list of everything on your plate...the big and little stuff. Break your list down into two lists of daily and long term, and then prioritize. Just having it all on paper and out of your head helps tremendously. Having set goals of everything in a reasonable timeframe frees up your mental traffic jam.

Balance
Overwhelmed?
To-Do's, Have To's & The Remainder
Very Effective Living

A Great Reminder On Starting Over

The only thing worse than starting over is giving up! Sure starting over on anything stinks regardless of what it is. I know from first hand experience too that starting over on clean eating and working out stinks major because you feel like it is pointless and why does it have to be so hard and why can't I just get the results without so much sacrifice??? Why indeed??? Well.....It's the effort you put in to achieving the results you want that make the results last!!!! The effort is simply living correctly, so it's not really punishment or sacrifice....it just feels that way because the world we live in today is lazy, superficial, and all about convenience but that's not really living! Don't quit yourself before you have even truly invested in yourself!!! Sure we can all come up with "reasons" things don't work out or won't work out, but that is all just lies we tell ourselves and others to quit trying. Every little bit you do in the direction of supportive eating and moving your body is a success on your journey and one you can be proud to own! Move forward because you are worth the effort!!! Let go of how many false starts or do overs.....you didn't learn to swim the first time you tried either...."just keep swimming" and you'll get to your destinations!!!!

Don't Give Up!

If you have a bad day or bad week or bad experience doesn't mean it's okay to give up on your fitness goals and aspiration of good health! We all have bad days, etc. Nothing is perfect or ever going to be, but keep on moving forward with each new day, each new opportunity, each new experience! One day might be seemingly perfect....kids well behaved and doing everything you ever desired them to do, house is in place, to-do list is getting checked off, workout done, work done, etc., then the next day all hell breaks lose...kids have forgotten everything you ever taught them, the house looks like an F5 hit it, you feel like a failure with anything and everything you attempt to do, nutrition goes out the window, etc. Don't despair and don't give up.....Just as quickly as it all goes to hell, it can turn around and go right and awesome again. It's all about finding some peace and solace in each and every moment (even the bad ones) and ebbing a flowing right along with the rockiness that is all of our lives.

Proper Footwear

Proper footwear is vital to decreasing your risk of lower-extremity injuries. Whether you need activity specific footwear (running, walking, tennis, basketball, or aerobics) or multipurpose cross trainers (multiple cardiovascular and weight training activities), your shoes should match both your activity type and level as well as your foot type. Some general recommendations when shopping for proper footwear from the American Council on Exercise are:

*Get fitted for footwear toward the end of the day. It is not unusual for an individual's foot to increase by half a shoe size during the course of a single day. However, if an individual plans to exercise consistently at a specific time, he or she should consider getting fitted at that exact time.
*Allow a space up to the width of the index finger between the end of the longest toe and the end of the shoe. This space will accommodate foot size increases, a variety of socks, and foot movement within the shoe without hurting the toes.
*The ball of the foot should match the widest part of the shoe, and the client should have plenty of room for the toes to wiggle without experiencing slippage in the heel.
*Shoes should not rub or pinch any area of the foot or ankle. You should rotate the ankles when trying on shoes, and pay attention to the sides of the feet and the top of the toes, common areas for blisters.
*An individual should wear the same weight of socks that he or she intends to use during activity.  You should look for socks that are made with synthetic fibers such as acrylic, polyester, or Coolmax®  for better blister prevention.

It is also important to be aware of when shoes need to be replaced.  If they are no longer absorbing the pounding and jarring action, you are more likely to sustain ankle, shin, and knee injuries. Athletic shoes will lose their cushioning after three to six months of regular use (or 350 to 500 miles of running). However, you should look at the wear patterns as a good indicator for replacement. Any time the shoe appears to be wearing down unevenly, especially at the heel, it is time to replace the shoes. Additionally, if the traction on the soles of the shoes is worn flat, it is time for new shoes. (ACE Personal Trainer Manual)

Surprise Yourself

Two sides to this coin for which I was recently reminded. Tackle the hard tasks first and Do what intimidates you (face your fears). If you know me well,  you know the former is something I do daily. I come by my work ethic and tough as nails stubbornness honestly through genetics. I think of my grandparents and know I have them to thank!

Seriously though, if you tackle the tough tasks first, then the rest is like dessert ;-) This not only applies to all aspects of daily life & growth, but to our fitness journeys as well. If there is something you dread or do not like doing, Just Do It! Is it tracking your food, planning your food, doing your workouts, specific workout moves (burpees?)? Whatever it is, tackle it before procrastinating it tackles your success!!! Just like the first time you tried holding plank, this too gets easier and soon you will wonder what all the fuss was about in the first place. Don't believe me?  Go ahead, prove me wrong....catch is, you will have to do it, and do it, and do it before you can tell me it doesn't work....Go ahead ;-)

I was recently in a situation that I wanted to turn away from because it was intimidating and seemed like a no win situation. I set my jaw and faced my fears by being prepared for all scenarios I went into the dreaded task at hand. As with most twists and turns in my life, I was surprised to discover the thing I thought was going to be a disaster was actually a blessing! That's the thing about our lives and our fitness journeys, you can't judge by your fears what is going to be the best path. Nor should you just wing every moment. I do love the saying that 'if you fail to plan you plan to fail'. It's true, you have to be prepared best you can for what you face and then Just Do It! Realize too that sometimes our best successes come out of the many failures along the way. Another saying I love and live by is that 'it is only a true failure and bad experience if you do not learn anything from it'. My life is built on the many lessons learned and I am truly blessed and better off for each rocky moment. Embrace the difficulty and move forward a stronger person for it! http://veryeffectiveliving.blogspot.com/

"Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses, and disappointments, but let us have patience and we soon shall see them in their proper figures."  ~Joseph Addison

Reworking Your Path To Pain

Medicine/medical system/doctors are necessary, but understanding that it is not always the best solution to what your body needs is paramount! More times than not, the real solution is within your own power to obtain, and not in the masking of pain that is so often sought through the medical system. Addressing your body's alignment, structure, and fundamental movement patterns (body mechanics), and making the necessary changes is a lot of times all that is needed to permanently relieve your daily aches and pains. Your body is not just individual parts, but the interdependency of all parts working together properly. In other words, a system that is anatomically connected and functionally related with not any one part incorrectly having to perform another's tasks.

"....the Path to Pain begins with muscle imbalance issues. A muscle imbalance is a discrepancy in length and strength between two opposing muscle groups. That is, muscles that oppose each other (pull in opposite directions) need to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship. They should have corresponding lengths and strengths that allow a joint to move equally and within its normal range of motion." The Pain-Free Program by Anthony B. Carey, M.A., C.S.C.S

I am working on an upcoming series of Posts that I will be doing to assist you on the self-examination to adjusting your body mechanics in order for you to rework your paths from pain to permanent relief. Visit me at the VEF Studio all month long for personal help in this! veryeffectivefitness.com

The Whys Behind The REVISE

Part of 'knowing better' is actively 'doing better'! The VEF Studio has been a blessing and a wonderful opportunity to share what I know and do what I love. It has also been a lot of work and a lot of hours. I have spent the past two years in the studio accommodating everyone's needs and schedules but my own, and it has taken its toll on my children and myself. Working around my clients is something I want to do, but have to practice what I know to be true which is practicality ... I cannot continue being there between 6am-8pm six days a week. In examining what is best for my family, as well as trying my best to accommodate my clients and class participants, I have had to make some extremely difficult decisions. Difficult, in that I struggle not giving to those I care about, and I care very much for those I work with, around, and for at the studio. Knowing that by changing my availability, I am less able to meet the needs, wants, and wishes of my clients and class participants, and that is not something I ever take lightly!

I have been so busy "giving" that I haven't been taking my own advice for balance and health. My whole reason for being a personal trainer and coach is to share what I know. But, if I'm not able to also practice what I know, then I cannot be as effective at sharing. I have spent the past six years very much in the research and development of some truly phenomenal truths to share about the body and how to truly heal yourself from the inside out, but what I lack is the amount of time to put it together to share with you. My conclusions are these: I need to take a step back in order to take a better step forward! I need to heal myself again, before I can be of real service to you! I need to continue in my R&D as well as practice to fine tune this almost complete new system to better health and pain free living! I need time to write this system down for you to have and practice for yourselves for life!

To those ends, here is where I am: I reluctantly need to revise my Class and One-on-One availability through the end of the year in hopes to accomplish all of the above, and be in a place to offer to you a much better me, system, and schedule in 2016. I understand that with any change there are repercussions, hence why I have mulled them over for weeks and months now before acting. It is also why I have reached the acceptance of where I am, and know what I need to do however challenging it may be. I hope you can understand and can see the value of the investment. I will keep you updated on this journey and outcomes and changes to come, as sharing this is part of my life since I started down this path in 2009!!! I am forever grateful for all the support and blessings I have received through working with all of you!!!! Thank you!!!!

Revised October 2015 VEF Class Schedule: